Apparatus for ornamenting the surface of strip materials



G. PRIFOL/D April 19, 1932.

APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING THE SURFACE OF STRIP MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed Sept. 21, 1929 ATTORNEY April 19, 1932.

' APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING THE SURFACE oF ASTRIP MATERIALS Original Filed Sept. 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet w A1 LIAR.

mmc 1 |NvEN`ToR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE IPRIFOLD, F SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB T0 '.IVJHE GOTT-A-LALP COMPANY, OF SOMERVILLE, JERSEY, A. OORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING THE SURFACE 0F STRIP MATERIALS riginal application led September 21, 1929, Serial No. 394,364. Divided and this application led February 18, 1932.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 394,364, filed September 21, 1929, and relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method disclosed in said prior application. 'Y

cloths and similar materials. The invention provides a strip` material of this character which has a new type of decorative surface.

A strip material embodying the invention comprises a body and a layer of paint, all or a portion of which consists of two or more paints of different colors blended together in streaks running lengthwise of the strip. An important characteristic of the streaked layer of paint is that the lines of demarcation between different colors are throughout the length of the strip parallel to the strip or nearly so. The artistic effect of the new material is the result ofthe fact that. although two or more colors may be intimately blended together, the surface presents no blotches such as would be caused by any lines of demarcation extending transversely of the strip. This does not mean that each streak of color necessarily runs the entire length of the strip, but that any streaks of color which extend less than the whole length of the strip taper ofi' into fine points to avoid all transverse lines of demarcation.

The method of making the new floor covering consists in printing on successive lengths of the strip a plurality of dabs or blotches of color surrounded by a base color, 1n applying a brush to each length of the strlp shortly after the colors are printed Y thereon and while the colors are stillwet, and- `1n causing uninterrupted relative movement in the same direction between the' brush and the strip throughoutthe combined operation of printing and brushing.

The apparatus for carrylng out this method includes a brushing attachment readily applicable to a block printing machine of the type customarily used in printingiloor coverlngs and arranged to cause an unmterrupt- Ied movement in one direction between the Serial No. 593,894.

strip and a brush, notwithstanding the intermittent feeding of the strip which occurs in such block printing machines.

The accompanying drawings show,rneces sarily somewhat imperfectly, a strip material embodying the invention, and illustrate a specific embodiment of my apparatus for producing this material. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top view of part of apartially completed strip of floor covering embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlargedv partial transverse section of the floor covering taken on the right hand end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of a block printing machine embodying the apparatus features of my invention and omitting parts which are unnecessary to an explanation of mv invention; and

Figs. 4 and 5 show my brush attachment, Fig. 4 being an enlarged transverse section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3. and Fig. 5 being a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In Fig. 1 a part of the paint layer of the floor covering is shown in completed form at the right. It will be seen that this layer 1ncludes a middle portion having a design printed thereon and two edge portions having 'colors mixed in streaks as heretofore described. The lengths A, B of the Hoor covering shown in Fig. 1 show the positions 1n which the paint is printed on the edge portions of each length of the floor covering before this paint has been streaked by the appl'1- cation of a brush. The lengths C and 1n Fig. 1 shows1 the printing of the central design on the strip before the paint is'applied to the edge portions of the strip. Figs. 3, 4 'and 5 show a machine for automatically treating each length of a long strip of material, first. by printing a central deslgn, second, by printing a background and blotches of color on the edge portions, and third by mixing the colors on the edge portions to produce the streaked eiect, or 1n other words, by carrying out the process illustrated in the successive lengths of the strip shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 conventional shows a block printing machine of construction. 1 It Yis prov1ded with a bed 10 over which travel feeding bands 11 for intermittently moving a strip of material alon the bed, and with a plurality of printing eads 13. At the right-hand end of the figure is shown the customary mechanism for causing the intermittent movement of the feeding-bands 11. This mechanism includes a drum 14 for each band 11, carrying a ratchet 15 which is engaged by a pawl 16 oscillated by a segment gear 17 on a pivoted arm 18 which is lifted and allowed to fall through the enga ement between a follower 19 and a cam 2O Xed on a cross-shaft 21 at the end of the machine. The cam rotates in a clockwise direction so that the feeding bands 11 are moved during more than one-half of the revolution of the cam while the follower 19 is travelling on the rising face X--Y of the cam, and remain stationary during the reprinting heads 13 are operated intermittenty by t e usual cams 22 on cross-shafts 23 whose movements arev synchronized with those of the cross-shaft 21 of the feeding mechanism by a longitudinal shaft 24 which is connected with each of the cross-shafts by a gearing of the same gear ratio. The printing hea are held in raised position during the movements of the feeding bands 11 and descend to apply paint from their painting blocks to the strip material on the bed during the periods when the feeding bands 11 are stationary. l

In accordance with my invention, one of the printing heads 13a is held up by means of blocks 25, so that it is out` of contact with its cam, which may be removed. On the cross-beams 26 of this printing head are clamped two frames 27 1n which are journalled two cross-shafts 28, 29. On the frames 27 are pivots 30 to which are secured the upper ends of two arms 31 which depend between the cross-beams 26 through the space ordinarily occupied by the printing blocks, which, in this case, are removed. The arms 31 contain slots 32 into which project crank pins 33 on disks 34 fixed on the ends of the shaft 29, The lower ends of the arms 31 have a pin and slot connection with blocks 35, slidable on rods 36 carried by frames 37 clamped to the cross-beams 26, and to these blocks is pivotally attached a brush 38 having separated sets of bristles 39. The length of Jthe brush 38 is greater than-the distance be; tween the rods 36 and the bed 10 of the machine, so that the bristles 39 rest on the strip of material on the bed in an inclined position,

as shown in Fig. 5.l The shaft 29 is driven vfrom-the cam-shaft 23a associated with the Einting head 13a by a pairof gears 40, 41

mainder of each revolution of the cam. Thethat the rate of revolution of the shaft 29 is equal to that of the cross-shaft 23a and also that of the cross-shaft 21. By proper positioning of the parts when the sprocket chain 44 is applied, the crank pins 33 are placed in their uppermost positions when the middle point Z of the rising surface X-.Y of the cam is in engagement with the follower 19.

Bearing in mind the fact that the shaft 29 and the cross-shaft 21 rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, it will be seen that the brush 38 has a back and forth movement synchronized with the intermittent movement of the feeding bands 11 and the strip of material carried thereby, so that the brush is moved forward with the strip of material, but at a slower'rate than that of the material, during the forward movements of the material; and is moved back over the surface of the material during the period that the material is at rest and also dur'- ing the moments when the material starts and stops its movement. This result is attained because of the fact that the amplitude of the reciprocation of the brush is considerably less than the distance travelled by the material at each movement thereof, the latter being, of course, equal to that between successive printing heads. Furthermore, the fact that the material is moved forward during more than one-half of each revolution of the cross-shafts while the brush is moved backward during more than one-half of each such revolutionnamely, while the pins 33 are travelling from the position 33X to the position 33Y-insures a backward travel `of the brush during the moments when the material is startin and stopping. The eifect of the intermlttent movement of the material combined with the reciprocatory movement of the brush is that there is an uninterrupted relative movement between the brush andthe material, producing the same effect as though the brush were continuously drawn in a rearwardly inclined position from one end of the strip of material to its other end. The continuous relative movement between the,y material and the brush in one direction is important, since it secures the desired streaked eifect without any of the blotches or marksy which would necessarily result from having the brush in a fixed position von the surface of the material even for a moment.

In the use of the machine whichk has been described, the printing heads near the front of the machine are used to print a desired designin the central part'of a strip of material while two or more printing heads immediately in front of the printing head 13a are used to apply to the edge portions of thestrip the paints which are to be mixed andstrcaked by the brush which they reach before' they have had time to dry. y

What I claim is:

1. The combination with\a block printing rit) machine having a bed and means for causing intermittent movement of a strip of material along said bed and printing heads for printing on said material during its periods of rest, of a brush in Contact with the strip material on the bed of the machine, and means for moving said brush rearwardly over the surface of the strip material during the starting, moving and stopping of the strip material and for causing forward movement of said brush during the forward movement of the material but at a rate less than that at which the material is moved. y

2. The combination with a block printing machine having a bed and means for causing intermittent movement of a strip of material along said bed and printing heads for printing on vsaid material during its periods of rest, of a brush in Contact with the strip material on the bed on the machne, and means for giving saidbrush a reciprocatory movement having an amplitude less than the distance through which the material travels at each movement thereof and so sy-nchronized with the feeding mechanism of the machine that the forward movement of the brush occurs during the forward movement of the material.

3. The combination with a block printing machine'having a bed and means for causing intermittent movement of a strip of material along said bed and printing heads for printing on said material during its periods of rest, of a brush in contact with the strip of material on the bed of the machine. and means for giving the brush a reciprocatory movement having an amplitude less than the distance between successive printing heads and including a relatively long rearward movement and a relatively short forward movement, the latter occurring during the forward movement of the..v

feeding mechanism.

4. In a block printing machine of usual construction, means for holding up one of the printing blocks, a brush movably mounted on said printing block. and means driven by the cross-shaft associated with that printing head for oscillating said brush in synchronism with the movements of the feeding mechanism of the machine.

5. A brushing attachment for a block printing machine, comprising a frame mountable on -one of the printing heads, a depending arm pivoted to said frame, a brush attached to the lower end of said arm, a shaft journalledin said frame carrying crank engaging said arm, and a driving connection between the cam shaft of said printing head and said c1 ank shaft.

6. A brushing attachment for a block printing machine, comprising a frame mountable on one of the printing heads, a depending arm pivoted to said frame, a second framegattachable to said printing head,

a slideway on said second frame extending lengthwise of the machine, a slide on said slideway, a connection between the lower end of said depending arm and said slide, and a brush pivoted to said slide and resting on the bed of the machine in an inclined position.

7. The combination with a printing machine having means for successively printing paints of a plurality of colors on successive lengths of a strip material, of a brush positioned to contact with each length of the strip shortly after the colors have been printed thereon antlavliile the paint is still wet, and means for causing uninterrupted relative movement in the same direction between the brush and the strip throughout the operation of printing and brushing the entire strip.

8. Printing apparatus comprising printing means` a brush effective for blending the color applied by the printing means, and means for effecting substantially continuous relative movement between the printed material and the brush in such fashion as to maintain a substantially constant angularity of the brush bristles.`

9. Printing apparatus comprising means for moving material for-wardly in a step-bystep manner, means for printing the material, a brush for engaging the printed material, and means for moving the brush back and forth longitudinally of the material.

l0. Printing apparatus comprisingmeans -for moving material forwardly in a step-bystep manner, means for printing the material, a brush for engaging the printed material, and means for moving the brush back and forth longitudinally of the material, the brush moving means being so timed that the brush movement changes direction while the v material is moving.

11. Printing4 apparatus comprising means for moving the material forward in a step-bystep manner and in a definite time cycle, a brush, and means for moving the brush back and forth longitudinally over the material in a different time cycle. c

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE PRIFOLD. 

